A highly relevant state agency
- Click here for their website.
- Click here for their Wikipedia entry.
The Texas Commission on Law Enforcement or TCOLE, serves as the regulatory agency for all peace officers in Texas, which includes sheriffs and their deputies, constables and their deputies, police officers, marshals, troopers, Texas Rangers, enforcement agents of the Alcoholic Beverage Commission, investigators of the Attorney General, and game wardens. County jailers and public security officers are also regulated by TCOLE.
With the passage of Senate Bill 686 in the 83rd Legislative Session, the commission's name was changed from "Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Officers Standards and Education" to "Texas Commission on Law Enforcement" on January 1, 2014.
- Click here for their most recent report from the Texas Sunset Advisory Commission.
- Self evaluation.
Established in 1965 by the 59th Texas Legislature, the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Education was created to conduct studies and make recommendations to the Governor and the Legislature for the establishment of training, education, and certification standards to improve law enforcement performance. Today, the Commission, which was renamed the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE) in 2013, has evolved into a contemporary regulatory agency with six key functions:
1. Establishing minimum standards to obtain and maintain a peace officer, county jailer, telecommunicator, or school marshal license, and issuing licenses to qualified applicants;
2. Overseeing basic training and continuing education requirements to maintain an active license and ensuring compliance;
3. Auditing agencies and training providers for compliance with hiring standards and providing technical assistance;
4. Taking enforcement action against licenses in the event of criminal or administrative violations; Self-Evaluation Report Texas Commission on Law Enforcement 2 September 2019
5. Approving the creation of new law enforcement agencies that meet minimum standards established by the Legislature; and
6. Maintaining TCOLE’s database containing licensee and agency records.